Chastain is flooded with concert goers when a stampede at a music festival leaves many in need of doctors. As Conrad and Nic race to help Josh Robinson, a professional adventure guide with a long list of prior injuries, Devon works with a musician who swears he is sober, even though his toxicology report suggests otherwise. Bell stirs the pot when the hospital's revered orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kit Voss, demands a better resident. Marshall continues to push Conrad to believe he's a changed man.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of FOX's The Resident.
"About Time" was written by Marc Halsey and directed by Geary McLeod
This episode features an interesting plot device that has been used many times across a number of medical procedurals. It utilizes a flashback structure to show a patient coming in with one set of injuries only to later on feature the doctors facing questions from lawyers about how things went wrong. It has the potential of being very exciting and dramatic. However, The Resident doesn't commit fully enough to it. The story of Josh, the adventure guide, isn't even the most entertaining story in this episode. It doesn't have the same emotional hook as the rest of them. As such, it's silly to expect that Conrad will deal with any kind of significant consequences from it. Moreover, halfway through the episode it becomes clear that this lawyer is just a vulture looking for any common medical mistake made in the heat of the moment in order to sue. That immediately alerted the viewer that there should be no cause for concern. We have come to expect that Conrad will always do what's in the best interest of the patient even when it creates trouble for him with the hospital administration. However, the show runs the risk of losing its bite when it comes to Bell or Marshall threatening the end of Conrad's career only for him to deal with no genuine consequences for his actions. Here, he is shielded from them. He does the right thing in stating the truth. He did what was necessary to save Josh's life. But his father handles it all with a settlement and non-disclosure agreement behind Conrad's back. As such, that's not really the best step towards establishing an honest relationship once more. That's all that this is really building to as well. It's not really an earned surprise that has the potential of really shaking up the new season. That mostly comes from the introduction of Jane Leeves as orthopedic surgeon, Kit Voss. The season has allowed the audience to get used to Mina and The Raptor as a team. And now, it's the perfect time to split them up. Sure, The Raptor is an incredible surgeon. But he's so extremely arrogant and demeaning as well. It's empowering when Mina stands up for herself. She's the one who will determine her future in medicine. She may have the skills to make it in any speciality. That means The Raptor will actually have to fight for her and admit that she is the most talented resident working at the hospital. Kit immediately presents with a new energy. One that is immediately paired with Bell which could spell trouble. But one that also has the potential of bringing something new out of Mina. And finally, Devon finds himself dealing with the VIP patient this week. It happens to be the lead performer of the band that was onstage when the stampede broke out at the outdoor concert. That was actually a really intense opening moment because it was unclear if the show was about to embark on a mass shooting story already. The show would have to be very delicate with that. And yet, that shouldn't dissuade them from the potential of exploring that either. Here, it's more so a story about this singer having developed a new condition because of his alcoholism. His liver is now breaking down sugar as alcohol. So, that's what makes him seem drunk. It's interesting while also continues to prop up the developing bond between Devon and Julian as he is unable to tell her that he is a patient until he puts on a surprise performance at the hospital.
